Strength Perspective Theory

Anne de Mare and Kirsten Kelly describe the struggles faced by young people who are homeless and living in America today in "The Homestretch." The lives of Rouqe, Kasey, and Anthony, three teenagers, are the main focus of the narrative. The three of them each had unique experiences with homelessness, and they open up about their struggles without a roof over their heads or a place to call their own so that others can better understand how they feel.
Roque is one of many young, homeless teenagers who live in America, as was previously said. Roque became homeless because his father had problems with his immigration status and decided to flee while Roque's mother got remarried sooner after Roque's father left (de Mare & Kelly, 2014). Even though Roque's mother got remarried, Roque felt as if he was not welcome in that home and decided to figure out his life which made him a homeless. Moreover, the inability to find shelter made him miss three months of school which negatively impacted his grades. However, with the help of his teacher, Roque not only got a place to stay but received guidance and love from that family that made him feel at home and work towards achieving his goals.
Using the strength perspective approach, a social worker can describe the Roque's presenting issues and problems as ones that relate to lack of confidence in his abilities since he had no family to support him. For instance, Roque felt betrayed by his parents who did not consider his well-being. Instead, both parents put their interests first, which forced Rogue to fend for himself as a young adult (de Mare & Kelly, 2014). Additionally, the fundamental elements of the strength perspective theory focus on a person's resources, skills, and capabilities rather than on the individual's problems (Barbra, 2014). For instance, since Roque is skilled in theatre acts, a social worker can focus on helping Roque use his talents to overcome his challenges just like Mrs. Rivera did. The idea behind taking such an initiative includes figuring out ways of supporting an individual to build self-determination and use that as an advantage to overcome any adversity because problems can present themselves anytime.
After analyzing Roque's story, I would intervene using the strength perspective approach whereby I would inquire more about the individual's strengths and build on that as a way of distracting Roque from the daily struggles of being a homeless teenager. For instance, in the film, Roque revealed his love for performing in theatre. Therefore, I would encourage him to involve himself more in theater-related activities, which eventually would help him improve his acting skills and also make friends with like-minded people.
Overall, the strength perspective approach plays significant roles in describing Roque's problems and life experiences. For instance, the theory illustrates how Roque managed to face his fears of making inquiries instead of waiting for someone else to do things for him. Roque's teacher believed that pushing him to inquire about the requirements of his college application would help him realize his strength in effective communication that was essential for a theatre arts students. Additionally, the approach also revealed Roque's personality of a person who liked to "pay-it-forward." He did so by helping Rivera's kids with homework and taking care of them as a big brother.

Humanistic Perspective Theory
The documentary also features Kasey, another homeless teenager who explains her journey of being a homeless teenager. In the film, Kasey revealed that she became homeless because her mother could not stand the idea of her being a lesbian. Additionally, her family often despised her because of her sexual orientation, which depressed her a lot. For this reason, she became homeless for over a year before she got shelter at Belfort House that provided Teen Living Programs for youths looking for jobs or schooling but had no shelter.
A social worker would use the humanistic perspective theory to explain Kasey's presenting issues and problems. The humanistic perspective depicts that an individual sense of self-evolves by understanding personal experiences and creating social relationships that boost a person's self-esteem (Berger, 2011). In Kasey's case, a social worker would present the teen's problems using the humanistic perspective approach by showing Kasey's desire to have a place to call home. This teen felt unloved by her family because of her sexual orientation, which made her depressed. Therefore, to avoid hurting herself, she opted to become homeless where she slept on the streets until she became part of TLP.
There exists a couple of critical concepts I would utilize to guide my work with the individual. First, I would inquire more about the teenager's past and the reason for homelessness. Since the young adult needs a home, I would provide that just as Belfort House did it. Additionally, I would ensure that I give the care that Kasey needs because she lacks that from her family. For instance, when she was graduating, she was not sure if her parents would come to the occasion and see her achievements (de Mare & Kelly, 2014). Instead of letting her go alone, I would accompany her to her graduation and give her my support so that she does not feel alone. I would also establish a relationship with Kasey to let her understand that irrespective of her sexual orientation, I would not judge her. Instead, I would encourage her to open up and let me know of her challenges so that I would help her find ways of solving her problems. When Kasey was expelled from the Belfort House, she felt like a disappointment and went back to being homeless. He mother was disappointed with her, which made her depressed. Such things might have contributed to her alcohol overdosing (de Mare & Kelly, 2014). Therefore, such an individual requires all the support a person can get from a social worker to feel cared for and protected. Finally, I would help her realize herself so that she does not feel less important in society.
Overall, I would intervene by ensuring that Kasey has a place to live and receives all the care she can get so that she does not feel alone. I would also intervene by helping her reach out her dreams of finalizing school, getting an apartment, finding a job, and working towards her college. I would encourage Kasey to talk to other trusted people like her friends and share some of her problems to avoid feeling overwhelmed by dealing with the situations as an individual. Finally, I would encourage Kasey to be true to herself at all times and disregard what other people might think of her primarily her sexual orientation.


References
Barbra, T. (2014). An introduction to applying social work theories and methods. London, UK:
McGraw-Hill Education.
Berger, L. P. (2011). Invitation to sociology: A humanistic perspective. New York, NY: Open
Road Media.
de Mare, A. & Kelly, K. (2014). The homestretch. Chicago, IL: Kartemquin Films and Spargel
Productions